To Have and to Hold

The effects of the sexual revolution, the empowerment of women and the growth of a global consumer society based on individual choice were only fully played out in the last decades of the 20th century, when the divorce rate increased to an all-time high of one in three marriages. This final episode explores how marriage has adapted to these pressures by looking at the ups and downs of five couples whose relationships personify modern marriage. It looks at the mixed-race marriage of Mo and Ann Chaudry and their rags-to-riches journey which resulted in a millionaire lifestyle and a happy family. Kate and Harry Benson had a glamorous Lady Di-style wedding but their marriage almost followed suit, nearly ending in divorce. They both became marriage guidance counsellors and Harry now heads up the new Marriage Foundation. Rock stars Toyah Wilcox and Robert Fripp reveal their romantic love story, their ups and downs and how they have kept their 25-year marriage strong. Jimmy Warne, a former Tyneside shipbuilder and trade union leader, recounts how he became a house husband with his second wife Lynn, a career woman with whom he has two young daughters. Vicar David Robertson reveals how he coped after his wife walked out on him and his four children, and how he found new love with Gill, meeting her through a Christian dating agency.